Marionette Murderess?
Perhaps today is a day like any other. Work cycle is over, and the dusk is settling in, chasing out the fading rays of light in the Kalisian sky. A few people are out, wandering the streets looking for a joint to catch a drink at, but it isn't the 5th work cycle yet, and so there aren't too many mechs and fems out looking for a good time. Which makes the red and white seeker's entry to the shop where Torque works easier. He flies above the clouds, taking care to ensure discretion and obscurity until he arrives at the destined location. Consequently, he drops out of the sky silently like a hawk swooping in on it's prey into back alley behind the shop, landing soundlessly before pushing the back door open a tiny crack to see if Torque is present. Torque is most certainly in, finishing packing up whatever hasn't already been moved to Ratchet's clinic or put in storage. A small light can be seen within the front of the shop should Starscream peek inside, Torque visible at the empty workbench. The with a soft hum she sets the big box in her arms atop it and takes up her datapad, scrolling through a list. "Alright.." She finally says, speaking to herself. "That looks like the last of it. Just gotta move this to the storage depot and I'm all done." Voice trailing off, she looks up from her pad to take in the sight of the workshop one last time, commiting it to memory and sighing softly. "Gonna miss this place…" The seeker pushes silently into shop, dimming his optics to remain unseen. He enters swiftly, his boosters activating soundlessly as he hovers nearer to where Torque is standing, packing the last of her things. His null rays mobilize, and perhaps Torque will hear their electronic hum, but before she can even respond Starscream has the blaster pressed against the back of her helm. "Come quietly," he says, "and this won't be painful." Torque just shakes her head and stows the datapad. "Ah well, guess it couldn't last forev--Hm?" A strange hum in the air catches her audial, making antennas twitch as she starts to turn her head. But she's quickly stopped by the feel of a weapon pressing into the back of her head, forcing her to freeze up in a mixture of shock and fear. Torque would have asked who it was, but that all too distinctive voice gives the seeker away quite easily. So he's come back, has he? And wants to take her somewhere? Too bad she's not eager to leave anytime soon. Starscream may have a gun, but he's close enough to Torque to put him in her territory now. Self defense instincts kick into high gear and she attempts to duck out of the way of the muzzle while whirling on him and surging forward with a high powered fist aiming to hook him right across the jaw. "I'm not goin' anywhere, fragger!" She roars, ready to try and book it if she gets the chance. Starscream dodges, sideswiping quickly to the left to avoid her fierce uppercut. He smirks. "Sorry, but I have other plans," the seeker says coyly, "though don't say I didn't warn you," he says, and opens fire on the female mechanic. Torque growls in frustration when the flighty mech dodges her punch. "I knew you were trouble! Get the frag outta my shop you-- Argh!" Before she can even wind up for another assault, Starscream fires on her point blank. The explosive force of the high powered laser sends her reeling hard into the back wall, pieces of violet armor now scattered on the floor where she slumps into a heap. The hole in her chestplate is more than visible with the smoke trailing from it, the femme left wheezing and wide-opticed while groping at the wound in disbelief. "Wh.. Why.." Torque cringes up at the flier, a fair amount of energon pooling out of her as optics steadily dim until she grows limp, falling into stasis lock to preserve herself. ”I won't bother trying to explain," The seeker says darkly, as he leans over and scoops her prone body up with ease. He smirks. His boosters activate and he flies up and out of Torque's shop, heading for Altihex, where Pharma has asked him to meet up. Once arriving there, he ascends directly upwards towards the orbital platform hovering above it--now making a beeline for the Kimia Facility. As soon as they arrive at the facility, Starscream veers sharply into a hallway near the lab where Pharma is waiting for him and shifting his grip on the mechanic, slams Torque against the wall, his right hand grasping her neck tightly. Hopefully this blow will be enough to wake her. His crimson optics burn bright red in rage, and if she wakes, she'll find the seeker's face centimeters from hers. "Morning, /sunshine/," he says bitterly. Internal repair systems would help stem the steady flow of energon that leaks from Torque, though it can do nothing to fix the hole still piercing her armor. Unconscious mind is completely unaware of its body leaving the ground or the feeling of landing at Kimia, but it's quickly dredged back into the real world when Starscream promptly slams her up against the wall of the hallway. "Ngh!" Amber optics flicker dimly when coming back online, only to narrow into harsh slits upon seeing the mech before her now. "S-...Starscream.." Her voice crackles under the tight force of his hand at her throat, her expression contorting in a pained grimace as hands weakly grab at his wrist. "Why.. Why are you doing this? ..Where did you take me?" Internal systems blare at her, warning her of the damage and low energon levels, but she ignores them in favor of trying to look at her surroundings from the corner of her optics. He steps back a little, his expression easing slightly. "Heh. As if now were the time for questions," he says with a smirk. "Don't worry, I didn't drag you all the way out here to kill you. Of course, that'd be far too much of a bother," he says, waving a hand dismissively at her. "You may actually get out of this alive," he says like a fox, "although, that depends on how badly you want to /live/." Torque's optics flick back to Starscream when he answers, a wheezing growl escaping her lips as they curl into a harsh scowl. "But.. nngh.. But why!" She finally yells, her body tensing and teeth clenching while hands try to tighten their grip on his arm. It's firm, but still not enough to really hurt him. "What did I ever do to you! Why couldn't you just leave me alone!" And with that outburst complete, Torque cringes heavily and whimpers faintly under her vocals while shutting optics and clutching her wound, riding out a wave of pain. "What.." She eventually stammers out. "What's even going on here.." "Shut up," he hisses, his crimson optics flashing blood red, "you don't even deserve to ask that question." His grip on her neck tightens. Then he lets go of her abruptly. "You've been brought here to be a test subject," Starscream says blandly, "but how /fair/ would that be if you weren't allowed to resist experimentation?" He reaches into his subspace and pulls out a very deadly looking blaster. Torque's vocals crackle even further with his pressing fingers and head begins to swim with what little energon is left being cut from her head. But she won't have to endure it for long, Starscream quickly releasing her and letting her fall back into a sad heap on the ground. This is where she remains, face against the floor to try and hide the quiver on her lips. Is this really happening..? It couldn't! It just couldn't be! And yet here Torque is, looking up now to stare down the barrel of a blaster. Her mind screams at her to fight, to beat him into nothing and make him regret ever taking her. ..But her body refuses, barely able to move let alone fight him. Biting her lip to stem the incoming flow of emotion, the medic looks down, crestfallen and defeated as she mutters. "No one's gonna let you get away with this.. Someone will come for me.. Wheeljack will come for me!" Hands ball into fists and Torque looks back up, glaring defiantly into that malicious, crimson gaze. She may be weakened, but her spirit is still strong. But surprisingly, Starscream isn't shooting her, he's handing it to her. "The medic's name is Pharma. I'm sure you know him. He's... famous." He says that last bit very bitterly, and his jet boosters activate, scorching the floor. "Really now?" The seeker laughs. "As if. He doesn't even have the clearance to set his foot servo on the front doorstep. Anyhow, like I was saying before. I'm going to give you a chance at redemption. If you want to save yourself, use the weapon and kill Pharma. Then you'll be free to leave. I won't stop you." ...Kill Pharma? Torque practically gawks at this proposition, eyeing the blaster again in a completely different light. This could be her chance to get out of here, to avoid whatever sick experiments Starscream has dragged her into. The blaster is so close.. All she needs to do it just reach for it and.. ..Her hand stops just before she can brush the weapon and quickly retracts, the femme glaring daggers up at him and wincing hard as she tries to stand. "No.. No, I won't do that! I won't play into your little games. I'll.. I'll talk to him. Or I'll figure out another way out of this." Standing now and leaning heavily on the wall, Torque squints at the hovering mech, her body shivering from strain. "You brought me here, so I have no reason to trust anything you say. You're.. you're nothing but a weasely little turborat that throws a fit whenever he can't keep someone under his thumb! I don't want anything to do with you after what you did to Wheeljack's lab, so save you games and tricks for someone else!” "Very well then," The seeker says, "I'll tell Wheeljack to come here, say I've forgiven him and there's something I so /desperately/ would like to show him." He hovers a few feet off the ground then swiftly flies around to behind her and whispers in her audio receptor. "Then I'll make you watch his face as I so kindly greet him with a point blank blow to the spark with this weapon you are now refusing. Then, you'll go into the lab and be a rat without a weapon. Do you /prefer/ that?" Starscream snarls spitefully. Torque doesn't move from her spot as Starscream comes up behind her, a solemn look on her face. The malice in his voice.. it hurts as bad as his threat to harm Wheeljack, which is something that almost runs her spark through. She can't let him be harmed, but.. could she ever bring herself to kill another? "What makes you like this..?" A few, quiet moments pass before she speaks up, her voice tired and mournful to mirror weak posture. "Why are you so eager for people to kill each other?" Torque turns, allowing Starscream to see the thin line of fluid wavering at the bottom edge of her optics as well as the saddened frown that mars her features. "It doesn't have to /be/ like this. There's no point to any of it." The femme reaches out, hoping to grab near his shoulder in desperation. If she can then she'll hold him fast, her weight pulling on him some to keep her steady. "Starscream.. I want to get out of here, but.. I can't bring myself to hurt someone like you want me to. I know you brought me here for a reason.. maybe to even see me suffer. And if that's what you want then I'll go in there without a fight. Just.. please leave Wheeljack alone. That's all I ask..” But little did she know that he lied. He wouldn't harm Wheeljack. Even as bitter as he is now, he would never hurt Wheeljack. But he lies oh so perfectly, it's what he does, it's all he's ever known. Lies upon lies, to cover up even more lies. "Don't /touch/ me," he snarls, swiping her hand away angrily. "What is it to you, /Autobot/," he growls. "And yes. This is how it /has/ to be. There is simply /no/ other way, it must end like this. If you don't kill Pharma, he will go on to slaughter hundreds more. He may pretend that he's /all/ that, but deep down, he's a disgusting murderer. And if you don't kill him. I /will/ kill Wheeljack. And you won't stop me, because you're going to be trapped inside that laboratory." He shoves the blaster into her hands. "/Your/ choice." And he turns to leave. Torque leans back onto the wall when he rebukes her and forces the blaster upon her. It's all she can look at now, staring at the thing in her hand as if it were some foreign object. By no means was she a good shot, ranged weapons like guns never having been her strong suit. And yet here she is with one in hand, forced to make a choice. Kill or be killed. That's all Torque has left to think about. Except.. another option seems to be entering the field now. Protect. "..And what if I just shoot you?" She speaks up behind him, shakily aiming the gun towards him. There's fear on her face, hands tight on the handle, but the effort to stay strong is there. "/You/ brought me up here. Right now you look like the only thing stopping me from getting out of here.” Starscream laughs a little. "Do you really think I'm that foolish? The weapon activates on my command. You couldn't shoot me, even if you wanted to. Besides, would you /really/ kill me? Are you sure you aren't too /cowardly/ for that?" he asks with a smirk, turning to face her. "You are foolish Torque. I'm the one holding all the cards, so don't even try to play poker with me." Should Torque even be surprised that Starscream would cover his bases like that? Deception is the game here and he's the master, giving her choices even though there's only one road. ..But it's a road she doesn't want to go down, so she rejects it, rejects him, and nearly roars in fury while throwing the gun down the hall. "You're a monster!" She screams with emotion pouring over, having had enough. "That's all you are and all you'll ever be! I won't play your game!" At the breaking point, the femme openly sobs and falls to her knees, crumpling in on herself. Why her? Is this his revenge? Dear Primus, she'll never know.. And all she knows now is that nothing but pain awaits her. How is she ever going to get out of this...